It Happened At Christmastime
by KricketWilliams
Summary: A party leads to a kiss, which leads to... Writen with the help of Harleyzgirl.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_AN: Here is something virtually angst free…well, maybe a touch of angst!… for Christmas. Written with the wonderful, inspirational help of Harleyzgirl. Without her, this would be incomplete. The name of the story comes a little from my favorite movie, "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert._

"Wow! Look at all these white lights," Emily said under her breath. "It's so nauseatingly perfect…."

"Like Martha Stewart did it," JJ said, holding Will's hand. "Before Martha went to jail, of course."

Garcia smothered a laugh. She was thinking the same thing. Of course, she wouldn't expect anything less from Tamara Barnes. If she was anything, she was perfect. Gorgeous face, willowy body, simply perfect.

She had a beautiful home, too. Elegant like she was, with no knickknacks out of place or anything. Simple and flawless: sand beige walls with perfect accent pieces. It was like something out of a catalog. Garcia thought about her own cluttered purple palace and almost sighed.

But the most perfect thing she had? Her perfect, gorgeous boyfriend whom they both loved. Looking at Derek standing next to Tamara in his dark suit, he looked like he belonged there. They were a catalog couple, so perfect they could've been carved from wax.

"Penelope," Tamara said, walking over to her. "I am so pleased that you could come. Welcome." Then she leaned over to give her a very anemic hug. Garcia was afraid to hug her back, she might crush her!

Derek was smiling his usual grin at her, and she went to give him his hug. That would be a big ol' bear hug. Derek knew how to hug. Being his best friend, she got a lot of those hugs in her life. She was a fortunate woman.

But she didn't get a chance to greet Derek. Tamara stood right in front of him, extending her greetings to everyone else. Garcia felt like she swallowed a cannonball. Tamara must've thought that her displays with Derek were crass or something. The other woman did not appear to like her, but she could understand why. A female best friend was used to jealousy from other women.

But not at Christmas time.

She walked over to one of the many people handing out glasses of champagne, and downed a glass.

Tamara and Derek mingled, and so did the rest of the BAU team. They were all having a decent time, joking with each other. But soon, it was time to leave. Everyone else had long gone; only the BAU family remained there.

Hotch and Rossi complemented Tamara on the party she was throwing.

"It was nice of you to invite all of us here, Tamara," Hotch said, holding a plate of canapé sandwiches.

Tamara tittered with laughter, tossing her elegant hair off of one shoulder. "I couldn't imagine my extravaganza without you all," she said. "I just didn't think I would have to keep you all for the night."

"Oh ho," Rossi said, laughing. "That's our cue to leave. Thanks, man." He reached out to shake Derek's hand, and Derek gratefully accepted it.

JJ leaned close to Garcia. Penelope was putting back a bit too much champagne, and it concerned her. She saw where Penelope was looking. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

Garcia tore her gaze from Derek and looked at JJ with wounded eyes. "I never even got to hug him. To wish him a merry Christmas," she swallowed hard. "He's my best friend, JJ."

JJ looked at her with compassion. Then smiled, as she called over to where Ms. Barnes was standing. "Tamara, can you please show me where in the Black Forest these ornaments came from?"

Finally, Penelope got a chance to stand next to Morgan without Tamara next to him. She hurried over and looked up at him. "Merry Christmas, Derek," she said with one of the few genuine smiles she had that smiled that evening.

Derek looked down and smiled at her, "Merry Chr-"

"Hey," Reid said, interrupting them. "You are standing under mistletoe. A tradition dating back to the Celtic Druids, mistletoe was believed to hold magic. However, kissing under the mistletoe didn't start until the Greeks used it with their festival of Saturnialia, promoting-"

"Derek, just kiss her to shut him up," Rossi said, shrugging his coat on.

Derek looked down at her and smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "It is tradition."

Penelope blushed. "God, Derek, you don't have t-"

Before she could say another word, his arms were around her, then his lips were on hers, and suddenly, the rest of the world just disappeared


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_AN: Trying to get this done for Christmas eve…. Hope you like it…_

Derek intended on just giving his best friend a little kiss. More than a rudimentary peck, she deserved better under the mistletoe than that, but not a real kiss by any mention of the word.

All his good intentions went out the window when his lips touched hers.

Immediately heat- rapid, overwhelming, and extremely pleasurable - coursed through his veins. He could barely think. She was sweet, tasted like the fine champagne that was at the party and a little something else he could never explain, but would never get enough of. The rushing sensation continued to pool in his body, hot and tingling, throughout his body.

He could feel the press of her breasts against his chest, the warmth of her arms around his waist. Each part of her body seemed to fit perfectly with his, like they were carved out of one cornerstone. He stroked his hands down her back to cup her bottom, pull her closer to where he needed to feel her the most.

Her mouth was a touch open, he couldn't help himself if he tried. And to be honest with himself, he wasn't trying at all. He needed to taste her, to see if the rest of her mouth was as tantalizing as her lips. His tongue dipped in for a taste, at the same time his hands pressed her closer. He was right, she was like some sort of drug that would become very addictive to him if he allowed it to.

Just when he was ready to deepen the kiss more, a hand clasped his shoulder and squeezed painfully. He looked up, with fuzzy eyes, wondering where that hand came from....

"Morgan, we need to go," Hotch said, giving him a very chastising look.

_Oh, fuck! _Derek thought. He forgot where he was, who was there. He gave a quick glance around. Standing in a line, with mouths agape were the rest of the members of his team.

"Penelope," he murmured, trying to break the spell they both were under. Penelope was still laying back on Derek's arm, her lips kiss bruised, her eyes shut. She looked so beautiful to him. It seemed to take her awhile before she saw or heard anything over the rush of blood in her head. She opened her eyes then.

Immediately, reality rushed in. Her eyes darted across the room, and she stiffened. She stepped away from Derek like he had burned her.

"I… I..," she said, blushing six shades of red. She looked up at Derek, then looked back at everyone else.

"I'll take you home, Penelope," JJ said, putting her arm around her friend and leading her out the door. JJ shot Derek a dirty look, then hurried them out the door.

The rest of the team hustled out the door except for Hotch. He stayed back for a second and reached out to shake Morgan's hand. "You have been given an opportunity to see what you really want," he said low, so that only Derek could hear. "Don't waste it."

Then he was alone….

A glass figurine went whizzing by his head, missing him by an inch. It smashed against the wall and shattered into a million pieces.

"You son of a bitch!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_A/N: This story could not have happened without my amazing friend and co-writer, Kricket. Thank you for letting me be a part of this story._

A glass figurine went whizzing by his head, missing him by an inch. It smashed against the wall and shattered into a million pieces.

"You son of a bitch! I knew I was right in keeping you two apart! I knew it. She's been trying to steal you from me from day one!"

That was the extent of the warning Derek had before Tamara's first missile was quickly followed by what appeared to be a partial tray of hors d'ouevres, a champagne flute, and an empty bottle of wine. With glass and food raining down around him he wondered if any of the team was still close enough to the house to hear the commotion and come to his defense.

"Tamara, be reasonable. She's my best friend. There's always been chemistry between us but I had no idea…I mean, I meant you no…aw, hell Tamara, I'm sorry."

"Sorry! You're sorry? You bring another woman into my house making moon eyes at you all night so I have to worry more about running interference than being a gracious host and you're sorry?!"

"It's not like Pen or I planned for this to happen." Even as the words left his mouth Derek knew they weren't going to help.

"You mean you didn't know she was going to make her move on you tonight. Somehow, it's supposed to make me forgive you because you didn't see what was obvious to everyone else present."

"It was?" Shit! He'd said that aloud.

"You egotistical bastard! Where do you get off?"

"I'm trying to man up here. Penelope is important to me."

"Oh, so now it's Penelope? It's always Garcia this and Garcia that when you're not going on and on about your baby girl and now, it's Penelope is important to me," Tamara was mimicking him but he could see the hysteria rising in her along with her colouring. "What does that fat bitch have that I don't?"

"I'm warning you: lay off," he growled at her. She could attack him, not Pen.

Unfortunately for him he was paying far too much attention to her words and not enough to her actions. He had no idea when she had removed her shoe but her aim was golden and the heel nailed him in the brow sending him sprawling backward. She was on him slapping, punching and screeching before he could get his hands up to do more than protect his face from further attack. Blood was already trickling along the side of his face.

As much as he didn't want to hurt her any further he had to get her off of him and himself out of the house. He'd put her brother's chain in his pocket before the party and now he struggled to retrieve it with one hand as he continued to deflect her blows to his head and shoulders with the next. Damn but she was completely bat-shit crazy.

"Here!" He thrust the cross at her. She recoiled like a vampire at first and then grabbed at it. He took advantage of her momentary distraction to launch her off of him and made a direct beeline for the door. The crashing of yet another object just to the left cured him of any illusions of stopping to say anything further. The door slammed behind him and he was backing his truck out of her driveway when she appeared in the doorway holding something that glinted in the lights strung around the house. Derek floored it; he had no desire to know what Tamara had intended to launch at him next.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Morgan sped away from Tamara's house, he was overwhelmed by the dichotomy of emotions that he had.

On one hand, he knew he hurt Tamara more than he ever wanted to. His relationship with her was on the skids long before the party. He thought she was what he needed; he liked that she seemed to truly "need" him. But neediness soon melded to clinginess, and a really ugly possessiveness.

He knew she had the party planned for months. It was her yearly "extravaganza" that had all her coworkers and friends. Derek knew that they were at the end a couple of weeks ago. But she had begged that they give it a chance until Christmas, to play her perfect host. He reluctantly agreed. After all, he only saw her sporadically during that time.

This possessive thing she did at the party made him queasy; they weren't a pair, no matter what she dreamed in her head. He couldn't call her on it, not in front of her group that she had. But he was going to end it tonight, no matter what. He had her brother's cross in his pocket for that purpose alone.

No, he didn't want to hurt her, it truly was unintentional. But that kiss... he couldn't feel sorry doing for that. Not in a million years.

That was because of the other hand: the unbridled joy that he felt when Penelope returned his kiss with the same amount of ardor that he had. He always loved her, she was his best friend for the past five years. He had even considered a relationship with her many times, was always attracted to her, but she was always with someone else.

Then he got the best news he ever had. At the party, Derek had pulled JJ aside and asked, "Where's Lynch?"

"They called it quits, Morgan," she said, with a sad look. "Why they did that before Christmas, I don't know. Pen said it was a long time coming."

For the rest of the evening, he tried to get away from Tamara to talk to his girl, but he couldn't. She introduced him to a million different people that he could've cared less to meet. But he made a promise to be a host. So, host he did.

He didn't intend for what happened with Garcia at all. But he would never regret it. It made things so much more clear for him. Now he just needed to see if he could make it clear for her.

Penelope just stepped out of her bathtub, her robe cinched at her waist, when she heard the knock on the front door. She wondered who would be there at almost two in the morning, but didn't question that. She looked through the peephole, then immediately opened the door.

"Oh my God, Derek!" she cried, her fingers going up to his bleeding eyebrow immediately. "Let's get that cleaned up. What happened?

He smiled at her as he followed her into her living room and plopped on her kitchen chair. She started dabbing at the cut with witch hazel. He winced a little, it stung. "Tamara happened."

"Oh," she said, turning red as a beet as she continued to clean away the dried blood. "It's not as bad as it looks; head wounds bleed a lot. This won't even scar."

"That's good to know. Have to keep the good looking face," he smiled wickedly at her. "I'm purely decorative."

She rolled her eyes at him and put a touch of triple-antibiotic ointment on the small cut. "I'm sorry about Tamara," she murmured as she placed a little bandage on the cut.

As soon as she was done, he pulled her forward, making her unbalanced, leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not," he said, lowering his mouth towards hers.

She squirmed out of his arms. "Derek, let's stop and think for a minute."

He just smiled at her a little bit, took off his suit jacket, unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt, then crossed his arms on his chest, getting completely comfortable. "Okay, honey. Shoot."

"Well," she said, starring at that expanse of brown throat that he just exposed. It was hard to think when he was around! She shook her head, this was too important just to give into. "What happened at the party," she swallowed hard. "That was clearly a fluke."

"Come here, and I will prove to you it most definitely was not a fluke."

She groaned. How she wanted to just let him prove it. "Derek, we have so little in common."

"Best friendship for five years? Same work ethic, same criminals to catch, same caring?" he questioned. Then he laughed a little. "Same smokin' hot passion?"

She flushed again, a bright color.

"Come on, now, Penelope," he said, leaning forward, his hands braced on his knees. "You cannot tell me you don't feel the chemistry between us."

She couldn't lie about that. She didn't want to lie about anything with him. She decided to just tell him the truth. "Derek, I am scared to death to make love to you," she said. "If we did, you'd grow bored with me, or want someone more perfect like you someday."

He reached out, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him again, and her hands rested on his shoulders. He rested his forehead on her tummy and took a deep breath. "Baby, I haven't been bored flirting with you for five damn years," he looked up at her, with a big grin. "To be honest: I've thought about sex and a relationship with you quite a few times. Seems my thinking was right; that kiss tonight proved it. But you were with someone or I was with someone. The timing never worked."

She looked shell-shocked. "Wow, I never knew. I always thought…" she shook her head, then smiled at him. " Enough of that. You know, Derek, I did always want to earn a night of passionate lovemaking."

He turned his head and kissed the back of her hand. "You earned that by just being you." He pulled her onto his lap. "Penelope, you do realize when we make love, that is what it will be," he kissed her lightly on her lips. "The love has always been there. We've said it so many times. Now let's show each other."

She swallowed back a few tears. He was right. She loved him. She always would, and he would always love her too.

"And isn't it about damn time too?" he said, arching his eyebrow without the owie at her.

She laughed and kissed him hard for his answer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_AN: Last Chapter before the epilogue…Warning: Strong Sexual Content..._

They kissed for a long time in Penelope's kitchen, alternating between pure hunger and teasing experimentation. His hands were everywhere, stroking and feeling over her thin terry robe. She had her arms looped lightly around his neck. She was enjoying every drugging kiss, every masterful touch. It was like Derek knew her body better than she did.

She didn't have a clue how long they sat there, kissing like they were famished for each other, starving for each other's love. She turned, pressing herself closer, harder to him. She was so close, she could feel his heartbeat. It was like she wanted to meld with him, become one person, not knowing where he ended and she began.

"Oh, dear God, Garcia," he groaned thickly into her neck. "I have to have you now."

With that, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her through the beaded curtain to her bedroom. He laid her on the bed, reaching for the belt of her robe. She flinched a little bit.

He glanced up to look at her eyes. "Baby, what's wrong?" he murmured, his hand caressing her cheek.

She swallowed a little. "I love you, Derek. I really do. It's just, you've been with so many women," she said, worry creasing her brow. "I just know I won't compare."

"No, you won't; you'll be better. Because I love you," he said, kissing her forehead. He reached for the belt on her robe again. "Now can I please open my Christmas gift?"

**For More of this part of the story...Please see my profile!**


	6. Chapter 6

Epilogue

__

A/N: It was truly a pleasure to work with Kricket on this story. Thank you for sharing the joy of writing and bringing Derek and Penelope together with me. Happy reading everyone.

Derek's house hadn't been adorned for the holidays in deference to all the team had experienced of late. Regardless, that didn't mean he and Penelope still couldn't put on one heck of a New Year's party to welcome what they both hoped would be the best year of all their lives. They met each member of their BAU family at the door with their fingers entwined and grinning the smiles of the truly in love.

Hotch's arrival brought Derek up short and he nodded to Penelope and kissed her hand before stepping outside to speak to the man he respected as his boss and close friend. "I want to thank you, man."

"Morgan, I'm just thankful you proved yourself to be as wise as I believed you to be."

"Fair enough. Shall we go in and usher in a new year in style?"

"I can't wait to say goodbye to this one so, most definitely yes." Derek slapped him warmly on the back and followed him up the steps into his home. He watched as Hotch dropped an affectionate kiss on Penelope's cheek and then accepted the glass of champagne offered to him by Emily.

With everyone in attendance, they spent a pleasant evening free of any worries other than who would bed down in which room once the evening came to an end. Rossi had a rather rigged coin toss going to decide whether he would be sharing the queen-sized bed in the second guest room with Hotch or Reid. "You know the mathematical chances of heads being called over tails is-"

"The couch it is for me," Hotch said and went over to the couch and made himself comfortable even as he shot Rossi a look of triumph.

"Our family," Penelope said and giggled at the rather bemused expression on Reid's face and the amusement on JJ's and Emily's.

"We're blessed," Derek added before lifting her chin so he could kiss her deeply.

"Hey, hey, you two are cheating. It's still two minutes to midnight," Reid called out.

"Get a room," JJ added.

"We have one," Derek said.

"We're just warming up, Spence," Penelope added.

No further comment was made about it and at the stroke of midnight they toasted in the new year. Both of them noticed but said nothing that Hotch was gracing Emily with a chaste peck on the lips, while JJ had Reid on one cheek and Rossi on the other. It didn't matter because Penelope and Derek had each other and a friendship grown into love that happened at Christmas and would grow with this new year. They sealed the promise to each other with a kiss.

Meanwhile across town…

The lights in Tamara Barnes house were all ablaze much the same as they had been the evening of her Christmas party. The woman in question sat in front of the fireplace in her family room making ribbons of an impressive stack of pictures. It was a series of shots taken during the party all featuring Derek and herself. She had a neat pile of her own face laid carefully on the coffee table behind her but every one of Derek was horribly scarred. A few of them even had holes pierced through the eyes and the forehead with the ice pick lying on the hearth. "Leave for that cow." Stab "Think that's the end of it." Rip. "You really believe I'm not enough woman for you." Stab, slice. "Bastard! I won't let you disrespect me for some little computer tech." Tamara held up an enlarged picture of Derek's smiling face and spoke directly to it. "You're mine. Do you hear me, Derek Morgan. Mine!" Then she grabbed the whole mass and tossed them into the fire raging in front of her and threw her head back and laughed.


End file.
